Planning for May, June, October and November
Every European tour planned for May or October comes down to one question. This is the pattern the passes usually follow, and how to plan around a year that does not cooperate.
High alpine passes are cleared, not simply thawed. Crews cut through drifts that can stand several metres deep, and the work starts when the avalanche risk allows rather than on a fixed calendar date.
That means opening dates move by two or three weeks year to year. A pass that opened on 20 May last season might not open until mid June after a heavy winter. Build any early season tour with a low level alternative already routed.
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Every road in the library carries a driving and scenery score set by the same method. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 21 May 2026
The roads
Italy · Lombardy and South Tyrol, Italy
Eighty four hairpins stacked above the treeline make this Europe's most theatrical mountain pass.
49 km · 30.4 mi · Atlas rating 9.9 / 10
Closed roughly November to May
Austria · Salzburg and Carinthia, Austria
Austria's grandest high alpine road climbs to Franz Josefs Hohe beneath the country's tallest peak.
48 km · 29.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.8 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
Switzerland · Valais and Uri, Switzerland
Bond film hairpins skirt the Rhone Glacier on this high, exposed Alpine crossing.
16 km · 9.9 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
France · Savoie and Hautes-Alpes, France
The spine of the Route des Grandes Alpes, a relentless climb to one of driving's holiest summits.
18.1 km · 11.2 mi · Atlas rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly October to May with snow at the summit
Austria · Tyrol and South Tyrol
A high toll road crossing into Italy with a dramatic glass museum perched at the summit.
30 km · 18.6 mi · Atlas rating 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly October to May
France · Savoie, France
The roof of the Route des Grandes Alpes, a stark granite amphitheatre above 2700 metres.
16 km · 9.9 mi · Atlas rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly October to June, highest paved pass in the Alps
Practicalities
If your tour must run to a fixed date and cannot be re-routed, plan inside this window and every major pass will almost certainly be open.
For every pass on your itinerary, know the tunnel or valley alternative and how much time it adds. It turns a closure from a crisis into an inconvenience.
Each pass is managed by a regional authority that publishes live status. That is the only source worth trusting on the morning you drive.
Common questions
Typically late May, though it has opened as early as mid May and as late as mid June after heavy winters. It usually closes in early November.
Usually the first week of May, with the road closing in late October or early November. It also closes overnight even in season.
Yes, but expect some high passes to still be shut. Route through the lower passes and tunnels and treat any open high pass as a bonus.